Engine starter



V. BENDBX ENGINE STARTER Filed Oct. '12, 1916 Patented Nov. 2?, i923.

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VINCENT BENDIK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE STARTER.

Application filed October 12, 1916. Serial No. 125,292.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT BENDIX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine Starters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a starter for an engine such as a gas engine, and the object thereof is to provide a simple, eflicient and reliable device of this character to be operated by a prime mover of any kind, such for instance as an electric motor.

My starter embodies as a material part of 1 its organization that type of drive or transmission exemplified in patents heretofore issued to me, for instance Patent No.

1,125,935, dated January 26, 1915, and Pat ent No. 1,172,864, dated February 22, 1916. This type of engine starter is characterized by a prime mover, such as an electric motor, and a transmission or drive for transmitting the power of the motor by means of a ro-- tatable member, such as a screw shaft, and a driving member such as a pinion mounted thereon, for transmitting the power of the motor to some member or part of the engine to be started, such as the fly-wheel thereof.

The object of my present invention is to provide simple and eiiicient means for preventing any possible creeping movement of the pinion on the screw shaft due to vibration of the automobile on which my engine starters are commonly employed, such means being arranged to prevent any possible slight rotation of the pinion which might advance it into contact with the fly-wheel and thereby cause a clashing and araspingsound. These means are so designed as not to interfere to with the ordinary or normal operation of the drive.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation 01? my drive illustrating a portion of the elec' tric starting motor and a portion of the flywheel of the engine to be started; Fig.

2 a plan view of a portion of the drive consisting. of the pinion, a portion of the screw shaft, and the means for preventing creep ing movement of the pinion, and Figs. 3, a,

to 5, and 6 are detail views illustrating difi'erent forms of such means.

The general construction of the drive is the same as that shown in my patents aforeand therefore it will be suflicient to ($1.3 ray that the same comprises in connection with the extended armature shaft 1, the rotatable hollow screw shaft 2, the pinion 3 adapted to mesh with the teeth 4 of the fly-wheel d, the coiled spring 5 constituting the driving connection between the collar 2 of the screw-shaft and the collar 6 secured to the armature shaft and the bolts 7, 8 which anchor the ends of the spring.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the means provided to prevent possibility of rotation or creeping movement of the pinion 3 consists of a spring 9 of rather light construction and preferably of the form shown in Fig. 1, according to which such spring is a bent wire with one end anchored underneath the head of the bolt 8 and extended outwardly therefrom in a long curve towards the outer edge or periphery of the weight disk 3 of the pinion 3, the extreme outer end 9 being outwardly and upwardly bent or turned, as shown in Fig. 1, and the outer portion thereof being turned angularly to one side with respect to the remaining portion of the wire, as indicated in Fig. 2 so that weight shall strike the wire at an angle.

Describing the operation and assuming that the pinion 3 is on its return to home position, shown in full lines, from its meshed position, shown in dotted lines, the periphery of the weight disk 3 will come in contact with the outer free end portion of the spring 9 which will finally catch over such periphery, as indicated in Fig. 1, whereby the pinion will be held to its home position with a suficient pressure or force to prevent any possible rotary movement due to vibration and consequent longitudinal movement along the screw shaft. However, this pressure or force is not such as to prevent a proper or normal operation of the drive, inasmuch as it is not sufiicient to hold the pinion back as against a positive longitudinal movement thereof caused by the rotation of the screw shaft by means of the electric motor.

Referring to Figs. 3 and d, the spring is too in the form of a flat band 10 reversely curved and anchored in the same manner as the spring 9 and also having its outer end shaped as shown at 10, in order that the corner 3, which is the high point of the weight 3*, we shall not catch upon the spring but strike it at an angle. In Figs. 5 and 6 the spring 11 has a bend 11*.

In both forms oi: construction, the spring is independent of the pinion when the latter are is in drivin position and cooperates therewith only W on it is in non-driving or home position.

I claim: 1'. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on such rotatable member and acting on said drivin member to prevent creeping movement 0 the latter.

. free end.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and retarding means mounted on said rotatable member and independent of the driving member when in driving position and cooperating therewith only when in normal or home position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary ,movement therewith and longitudinal movemovement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on the screw-shaft for preventing creeping movement of the pinion.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw-shafit and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, said pinion having adisk at one end, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw shaft and at its other end loosel engaging the peri hery of said disk.

8. B n :1- device of the c aracter described, the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement t ',herewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw shaft and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion, said spring being bent reversely from its point of anchorage with its other or free end in the path of movement of the pinion.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal move ment thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw-shaft and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion, said spring being bent as-to its body portion reversely from its point of anchorage with its outer end portion bent at an angle to the body portion and into the path of movement of the pinion.

10. In a device of the'character described,

the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft,

a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw-shaft and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion, said spring having its end formed at an angle, and said pinion having a disc which is engaged by said angular end of the spring.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw-shaft and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion, said spring being in the form of a light wire bent reversely from its point of anchorage with its other .or free end in the path of movement of the pinion.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a. rotatable screw-shaft, a. pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal move ment thereof, and a spring at one end anchbred to the screw-shaft and at its other end loosely engaging the pinion," said spring being in the form of a. light wire bent as to its body portion reversely from its point of anchorage, with its outer end portion bent laterally at an angle to the body portion and witli its extreme outer end bent obliquely upwardly and into the path of movement of the pinion.

13. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a rotatable screw-shaft,

apinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and a spring at one end anchored to the screw-shaft and at its other end loosely engaging a part carried by the pinion.

VINCENT BENDIX. 

